Mass Effect United
by Rigged Bomb
Summary: One Shepard alone may not be enough to save the galaxy. Which is why fate has deemed it necessary to gather several others from across the multiverse itself. *Property of Dax-Ranger Guy* {On hold. Please check profile's current announcement}
**Hey there! It's Dax Ranger Guy everyone. Now, sorry if this isn't a new chapter of Duelist Effect cause I kinda run into a bit of a brick wall after finishing half of the chapter. However, another idea suddenly popped into the back of my head and it has been pestering me ever since so without further ado, I just made this chapter so that I will know what your reactions to this type of story of mine will be. Hopefully it will be very positive. Now that we are done with my rambling, let us get this story on already.**

* * *

"No. I'll end this war… on my own terms…"

Commander John Shepard winced in pain as he kept his pistol levered at the shimmering child-like image of the Catalyst standing in front of him, doing his best to ignore the agonizing pain that's stinging from the wound he is clutching at his side.

The Catalyst however, was seemingly unfazed by the show of threat that Shepard is exhibiting and instead, a look of genuine disappointment and sadness seems to cross its expression.

"So this is your decision then?" The Catalyst asked "Then you will die knowing that you have lost everything that you have fought for."

Shepard growled in response "I fight for freedom, both mine and everyone else's! Every single being deserves the right to choose own fate and not let it be decided by others! And even if I die here right now, I'll die knowing that I did everything I could do to stop. I'll die free…"

Just as Shepard began to seal the fate of his decision by pulling his fingers around the trigger on his pistol, a mysterious new voice suddenly spoke from out of nowhere.

"Your statement is something I believe we can both agree on, John…"

Both Shepard and the Catalyst whirled around towards the direction from which they believe the voice is coming from, just in time to see another shimmering hologram that's similar to the Catalyst's image materialized in front of them, only this time instead of a child, the hologram manifested in what appears to be the form of an adult male who seems to be somewhere in his mid to late twenties.

The new holographic individual sighed "Trust me, I chose one of the options this brat gave me and it didn't end quite well for a lot of people in my timeline. You can even ask a few dozen of our alternate selves on the other decisions they took and let me tell you that they are _all_ basically disappointed with the decisions they chose. On the plus side however, I'm basically an immortal AI god now so I believe that there are at least a few good benefits in _my_ decision back there."

Despite almost collapsing in pain from the wound at his side, Shepard still has enough strength to be undoubtfully surprised and startled at the moment.

"Wait a minute… who the hell are you?" Shepard demanded as he alternatively levers his pistol between the Catalyst and the mysterious new visitor.

The stranger chuckles in response "Calm down John. I'm not an enemy. In fact, I'm here to offer you a much better choice than what this brat can give you."

"You. You are not supposed to be here." The Catalyst stated towards the stranger, its once stoic face now replaced with what appears to be a furious and very cross expression "This place is not your world. You have no right to interfere with this cycle for you have already made your own choice back in your own timeline."

"And that's where you are wrong, kid." The stranger retorted "And I've already spoke with a few of my alternate god selves and we all pretty much agreed on one thing; that you are a _fucking_ douchebag."

The stranger then raised his arm, outstretching his palm and pointing it towards the Catalyst and before either Shepard or the Catalyst could react, a enormous bolt of purple colored lightning suddenly shot forth from the stranger's palm and quickly strikes the Catalyst's form, vaporizing him in a flash of purple colored light and leaving nothing but the burnt smell of a fresh lightning strike lingering in the air.

"Now if don't mind, I'll be tending to much important matters now." The stranger mumbled as he then turns his glance towards Shepard and casually begins pacing towards him.

Seeing the mysterious individual beginning to approach him, Shepard immediately levers and points his pistol at the stranger's direction.

"Don't come any closer." Shepard threatened though he pretty much doubt that his weapon could probably do any sort of damage to this person and he is also quite sure that this guy could definitely kill him before Shepard could even finish blinking his eyes.

"Just relax there John." The stranger chuckles in response "You don't need to fear me. Like I said, I'm not your enemy here. I'm just here to give you a much better option in saving your galaxy."

"Yeah right." Shepard sarcastically replies "The Catalyst already tried to sell me his crap a few minutes ago and now you are offering me a choice? Come on, I don't even know who the heck you are anyway."

"Hmm, I suppose an introduction should be in order." The stranger admitted "Very well. I haven't used my real name for a very long time considering how I left my humanity a long time ago but I believe it will suffice. You can call me Robert, or Rob for short."

"Rob? That doesn't sound scary." Shepard snarked

"Yes, I know." Rob agrees "It even kinda sounds wrong when you combine it with my surname."

"Which is?" Shepard asks

"That's not very important right now." Rob replies

Shepard rolls his eyes "Okay Mr. Rob That's-Not-Very-Important-Right-Now, what kind of offer are you trying to sell me and how can it possibly be even more better than what the Catalyst offered me?"

Rob grins in response "Well for one thing John, my offer allows you the chance to shape your future in a way as _you_ see fit, not as by how some two pint brat decided for you and not just that, I can also provide you with the chance to fix up some certain… mistakes that you had made in the past."

Shepard seemingly looks down for a moment "Mistakes? That's impossible. That past can't be undone. No one can."

"Indeed." Robs agrees "No single person alone can change the past. But what makes you think that I'm alone, John?"

"What?"

Rob chuckles "Turning back the hand of time is a feat that's much more difficult than crossing the multiverse. Fortunately, with the right amount of help from certain individuals within those alternate verses, it is actually quite possible."

Shepard snorted "So what, you're telling me that you and your so-called buddies can actually _turn back time itself_? That sounds a lot more like some terrible science fiction concept coming from a bad holo-vid movie that I had watched."

Rob smiles in response "You should know that what you have thought of as fictional in this world can actually exist as reality in an alternate world. One of them even has the Allies and the Soviets using it against each other as a weapon of mass destruction for crying out loud! But I believe we are getting off track here. Yes, me and my friends can turn back time itself by sending someone, more specifically you John, back towards a certain point in time. However, doing so would require a vast amount of our energies and resources to do so and not to mention how much it can distort the space time continuum within your world so it's pretty much only a one time deal so if you screw this up, well it will finally be game over for your entire galaxy."

Shepard studies Rob's expression carefully and says "How can I be sure that this is all not some kind of trick you are playing? I mean, why are you even doing this? What would you even get by doing all of this?"

"Oh John, you don't have to worry much. I have no other such agenda here other than helping you save your galaxy." Rob replies "Besides, getting the chance to mess with that brat for the choices he had screwed me over is more than satisfying enough for me in this situation. However, I should tell you that there is a certain condition attached to my offer."

"What, do I have to sell my soul to you or something? Well I have to quickly tell you that it is not up for sale buddy." Shepard sarcastically remarked

Rob chuckles "Nothing of that sort. My condition only involves that you must allow a few certain individuals that I had recruited to fight alongside you in your journey. Who, or what, their identities are will be revealed to you once you have met them personally. Though I have to warn you, some of them maybe a bit odd, eccentric and even a lot… strange."

"That sounds a lot more like Tuesday to me." Shepard snickered

"I see you are pretty confident." Rob commented "You kinda remind me of myself when I was-never mind. I'm getting off track here. The point is, you are going to need all the allies you can get and these individuals are the exact type of help you are going to need to fight back against the Reapers. Besides, who knows? The unavoidable mistakes you had made in the past could be rectified by their help."

Shepard then studied Rob's expression again for a few more moments before replying "Alright. It seems yours seems far more reasonable than the choices the Catalyst gave me. Fine, I'm all in. What I do I have to do first?"

Rob smiled "Nothing, John. Just leave the first few steps to me and then me and my acquaintances shall help guide you upon your journey."

And with that, Rob snaps his fingers and the entire environment was immediately bathed in a bright flash of light.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

When Michael Shepard volunteered for the last mission his superiors gave him, he knew he wasn't going to survive it. For the esteemed hero of the Koprulu Alliance, he knew that it is one situation that even he isn't capable of surviving.

Nobody had ever expected it; neither the Domion nor the Protoss ever thought it was possible for the Reapers to indoctrinate the very heart and mind of the Zerg Swarm itself, the Overmind and turn all of its endless hordes against the entire galaxy itself. Just as the war against the Reapers was going smoothly due to the Citadel and the Koprulu Alliance finally joining forces together, it completely turned an entire 180 degrees on them as both Reaper and Zerg forces began to swiftly push their combined armies back. Within only a few days, the Citadel and the Alliance lost at least half of the total territories they had won back and both had taken massive casualties reaching within the millions as a result. The war is turning into a major disaster as battle after battle is lost by the coalition against the immeasurable forces of the Zerg and the Reapers. It is because of these terrible losses that the Alliance has decided to do one final desperate act that will hopefully turn the entire tide of the war.

Using a special device that it helped developed in conjunction with the Citadel, the Alliance plans to invade the planet where the Overmind is residing where it will be detonated, unleashing a powerful psychic storm that will destroy every psionic being on the planet, the Overmind included. Unfortunately, the blast will also affect anyone who is even remotely psionic and as for a Spectre operative like Shepard, this can prove to be extremely fatal.

When the invasion began, hundreds of thousands of ships belong to the Terran Dominion, the Protoss and the Citadel Council darkened the skies along with millions of flying Zerg like Brood Lords and Mutalisks who immediately rose up in defense of their territory. However, what the Overmind doesn't know was that the attacking force was simply being used to keep him occupied or at the very least, distracted enough to allow Shepard's party to quietly infiltrate and enter the Overmind's main hive cluster in order to destroy it once and for all using the device they developed. Unfortunately, due to sheer bad luck, the Overmind managed to detect their intrusion and begins to send wave after wave of Zerglings, Hydralisks, Roaches and even Ultralisks into their direction. It wasn't long before Shepard was the only one within his squadron left alive to deploy the device and complete the mission once and for all. However, using his extreme stubbornness and determination (along with the help of his psionic powers), Shepard fought through the dozens of Zerg standing in his path and managed to reach his squad's target checkpoint in time. After he finished setting up the device, Shepard thought back to all of his friends and allies who had died in the conflict, realizing how each of them made a tremendous sacrifice of their own and how this final act of his shall be his own. As a huge wave of fresh Zerg began to converge on his position, Shepard hoped that this sacrifice of his would help turn the tide of the war and with one final smile; he pressed the button and watched as the entire world turns black…

…before opening them again as he hears a strange new voice speaking right next to him.

Forcing himself up, Shepard groggily opens his eyes and in front of him stands a towering humanoid figure wearing bulky green armor. Shepard blinked as he tried to process how exactly _big_ this person is. Appearance wise, the person seems to be at the _very least_ half a head taller than him and was encased in bulky, dark green armor that appears to be tough enough to shrug a direct hit from a Siege Tank's cannon. The armor was sleekly angular in design, with thick armor plating that covers almost every part of the person's body and from the uncovered parts of the body, Shepard notices that the person is wearing a black colored bodysuit underneath. However, what unnerves Shepard even more is the helmet the person is wearing as its non-reflective orange hexagonal visor prevents him from seeing the person's expression.

 _It's a good thing I'm psionic._ Shepard thought as he secretly began using his powers to search the person's mind in order to find out about their identity, however much to his surprise and confusion, he wasn't able to pull anything out due to encountering some sort mental brick wall around the person's thoughts.

 _What the-psychic shielding? Something's not right here._ Shepard noted as his eyes kept on studying the person in front of him and that's when he then noticed the large pistol on the armored person's hip as well as the stock of a rifle that's peeking over the person's shoulder. He then became aware of his own weapon, an AGR-14 Rifle, which unfortunately is standing a few good several inches away from his position.

Shepard then begins contemplating his situation. As of this moment, he doesn't know if this armored soldier (which he guess is a soldier considering no other profession wears armor that thick or wield weapons that lethal) is either hostile or friendly as the soldier has no marks that lets them be identified with any Terran faction that Shepard knows of and the person's build suggest that they are the very least human or at least as human as any alien can be. Since his weapon is far too out of reach from his hands making diving for it out of the question, Shepard considered subduing the armored person using his psionic powers instead. However, since this person has some sort of psychic shielding on their mind, then this person probably has some sort of other psionic defense that Shepard probably doesn't know of (much to his frustration as a Spectre) which further alienates him from some of his choices. Seeing that he doesn't have much of a choice, Shepard decides to play this one nicely for the moment, at least until he can find a clear opening.

Shepard tried to put on his best smile "Hey there, there's no need for some violent, overtly aggressive action around here."

 _Man, I can't believe I'm actually even saying that._ Shepard thought as he watched the armored Soldier continue to glare at him from a distance, their hand kept firmly placed on the pistol on their side while the visor prevents him from reading any of the soldier's expressions.

"If you want, I can even introduce myself to you." Shepard insisted "My name is Lieutenant Commander Michael Shepard, Koprulu Alliance. How about you? Isn't it customary for people to give their name after others introduce themselves as such?"

For a full minute, silence filled the air as the armored soldier said nothing and continue to glare at Shepard's direction, until finally, the soldier spoke and its tone.

"Very well." The soldier replied in a very unexpected female sounding voice that tremendously surprised the Spectre operative considering that he expected the soldier's voice to sound a bit more gruff and muscular due to the soldier's hulking, armored appearance.

"I'm Petty Officer Shepard-007, United Nations Space Command." The soldier introduces 'herself' "Tell me, what it this Koprulu Alliance that you speak of? I have never heard it before in my entire life."

* * *

 _Yep, you guessed it everyone. After seeing a lot of Alternate Humanity Crossovers, I decide to put a twist to the formula by making a story that unites Shepards from different alternate humanities. As of now, we have seen John Shepard (That is, Shepard Prime, the original Shepard), Michael Shepard (Shepard as a Starcraft Spectre) and Petty Officer Shepard-007 (Shepard as a Spartan from Halo). Future chapters will feature more Altverse!Shepards in the story ranging from all possible Shepards in crossover fiction. In fact, I got a lot of possible Shepards swimming in my head ranging from Phantasy Star Duman Shepard, Command and Conquer Soviet Shepard, Code Geass Shepard, RWBY Huntress Shepard and many more. If you have any suggestions then feel free to tell me about it. However, keep in mind that this story will be given a bit less priority than Duelist Effect unless my mood changes for some reason._


End file.
